7F: Reading

SPEAKING Work in pairs. Choose one of the photos and describe it to your partner. Use the words below to help you. 

Read the article and match the photos (A-C) with two of the artists.

The statue of Rocky outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art is very popular with tourists, who often stop to take their photo in front of it without bothering to visit the museum itself. This irritated the artist Jessie Hemmons, who knitted a bright pink jacket and put it on the statue of the boxer. On the front of the jacket, Jessie knitted the words ‘Go see the art’. Jessie hopes that more people will visit the gallery. This form of street art has become known as ‘yarn bombing’.

The craze is believed to have started in 2005 by Magda Sayeg in Houston, Texas. One day Magda decided, just for fun, to knit a blue-and-pink cover for her shop's door handle. She loved it, and unexpectedly, so did her customers. Pedestrians stopped outside the shop to photograph it. Motorists slowed down to take a closer look. Their reaction inspired Magda to make covers for other objects in the street, such as a stop sign, a lamp post, a parking meter — and even an entire bus, which took awhole week to complete!

There are now yarn bombing groups in dozens of countries. They photograph and film their works and upload them to the internet.

Jessie believes that most street art is done by men and that yarn bombing is a more feminine activity. But not everyone approves of the new form of street art. Some people argue that covering public objects in wool is vandalism and littering, but the police appear to have a relatively relaxed attitude towards yarn bombers. They might interrupt them if they see them at work in the street, but they do not often view them as criminals.

Whether you see yarn bombing as a bit of fun that brightens up drab cities, or as a form of high culture with a serious message, it is a craze that is likely to continue.

Read the Reading Strategy. Is there a question about the main idea or the writer's overall opinion in the questions in exercise 4?

For questions 1-5, circle the correct answers (a-c).

1. Jessie Hemmons ‘yarn bombed’ the statue of Rocky because

a. she wants people to take photos of it.

b. she thinks too many tourists come and see it.

c. she wants more people to go and see the paintings in the museum.

2. Why did Magda Sayeg knit a cover for the door handle of her shop?

a. For her own amusement

b. To attract customers

c. Because someone passing the shop suggested it

3. Jessie thinks that yarn bombing is different from other forms of street art because

a. its popularity has spread via the internet.

b. it’s temporary and soon disappears.

c. it’s less masculine.

4. What is the police’s usual attitude to yarn bombing?

a. They make it clear that it is against the law.

b. They think that yarn bombers are strange people.

c. They hardly ever try to arrest yarn bombers.

5. What is the writer's overall opinion of yarn bombing?

a. It is wrong because it’s against the law.

b. The writer doesn’t express a personal view.

c. It deserves to be called ‘art’.

VOCABULARY In paragraphs 1 and 2, underline four things (excluding vehicles) that you might find in the street. How many more items can you add to the list? 

SPEAKING KEY PHRASES Work in pairs. Discuss the questions. Use the phrases below to help you. 

1. Do you think that yarn bombing is art, or vandalism and littering? Why?

2. What about other forms of street art, such as graffiti and chalk drawings on the pavement? Are they art or vandalism? Give reasons for your opinion.